Ditching machine



A. CAMERON.

DIT'cHIrIG- MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED .IULY29| 192Q.

l Patentemug. I, i922.

2 ISHEETS-SHEET l.

,ARDEN CAMERN, 0F NORWICH, ONTARIO, CANADA,

DITCHING MACHINE.

isaiasi.

Application led July 29,

.T0 ZZ whom it may concern Pie it known that l, ARDEN CAMERON, of Norwich, in the county of Oxford, Province of Ontario, Canada, a subject of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Ditching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for digging trenches in which to lay drain tiles, and my object is to devise effective means for performing the actual operation of digging and also to provide means for elevating and carrying away the dirt automatically adjustable to follow the digging apparatus as the trench increases in depth.

The machine is hereinafter more particu'- larly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved ditching machine;

Fig. 2 a rear elevation of the digger;

Fig. 3 a plan view of the machine; and

Fig. 4t a vertical section of the digger.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

1 is the frame of `a machine suitably shaped to support the different parts. This frame is supported on the rear ground wheels 2 and the front ground wheels 3, the front wheels being mounted in any ordinary way to enable the machine to be steered. At the forward part of the frame is supported a guide d, in which slides the digger arm 5. At the lower end of the digger arm is secured the digger 6 constructed as hereinafter described. The digger arm is raised and lowered in its guide by means of a windlass 7 of any ordinary construction. The frame is provided with a superstructure 8, which braces the guide 4 and also the upper ends of the weight boxes 9.

10 is an elevator deck formed in two parts,hinged together at 11 and hinged at its front and rear ends respectively at 12 and 13 to the digger and to the frame of the machine. It is evident from this arrangement that the deck will readily accommodate itself to the various positions of the digger as the latter is lowered in the trench being dug. The weight of the elevator deck and its load is counterbalanced by the weights 14 which slide in the weight boxes 9 and are connected ot cables 15 passing over guiding Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

1926. Serial No. 399,727.

sheaves 16 connected with the opposite sides of the elevator deck adjacent the hinge 11.

Running on the elevator deck is an endless elevator conveyor 17 of any suitable type. The rear end of this conveyor runs on sprocket wheels 18 fast on the shaft 19 journalled behind the axle 20 of the rear ground wheels 2. This shaft 19 forms the pin of the hinge 13 for the elevator deck. The shaft is driven by spur gearing 21 from one of the rear ground wheels.

The elevator delivers to a laterally directed endless conveyor 22 of any ordinary type, which is suitably supported on the frame work and is driven by means of the diagonal shaft 23 driven by bevel gearing 24 from one of the rear ground wheels 2. The shaft 23. it will be seen, extends in front of the axle 20, thus bringing the laterally directed conveyor into proper position to receive dirt delivered from the elevator conveyor.

The digger 6 is constructed as follows. The pin of the hinge 12 between the elevator deck 10 and the digger is preferably formed by the spindle of a roller 25 round which passes the'elevator conveyor 17, which will be provided with side chains running on the sprocket wheels 26 connected with the spindle of the roller 25. This journal is spaced between the side pieces 27 of the digger, the upper ends of these side pieces being shaped to form between them a socket 28 in which the lower end of the digger arm 5 is secured. Outside the side pieces 27 are secured the land sides 29, while to their forward ends is secured the digger point 30, the upper surface of which is upwardly inclined as shown. A brace provided with lugs is secured to the side pieces and to the diggerpoint to brace and connect the same.

The digger is provided with two rolling colters 31, one at each side projecting below the bottom of the land sides. These colters are preferably secured to independent shafts 32 independently journalled in the land sides and a bent brace 33 connecting the side pieces 27.

Supported between the side pieces 27 is a short sla-t conveyor 341 ruiming over the rollers ilo- 36, so positioned that the short conveyor will receive dirt from the digger point and deliver it on top of the elevator conveyor 17. This conveyor is provided with a single sprocket chain ruiming on the sprocket side, the roller 36 is driven from the roller 5.

This gearing is located outside the side pieces 27 and is covered by the gear boxes 4l secured .to the side pieces. As these gear bo-Xes proj ect; it is necessary to provide means for slightly widening the trench at this point to provide room for the passage of these gear boxes. l therefore provide the slrimmers 42 of a type wellknown in the art; which have theirstems 43 secured to the side pieces 27 byiclanlips 441-.

The operation of the device is as follows. First of all, by means of a farm plow, a shallow furrow is opened the entire length of the drain to be dug, returning in the same furrow.' If the surface of the earth is uneven, it is better to scrape the edges of the furrow back each way with a log scraper to make a moreV uniform surface on which the ground wheels may travel. The digger is then low ered into the furrow and the machine drawn forward by any suitable. tractive power; approximately at a speed of two to two and one-'half miles per hour. The point of the digger scrapes out lthe bottom ofthe furrow to a depth of cut of approximately two inches. The earth is` forced back over the inclined top of the point and is received by the short conveyor 3ft; which carriesit rearwardand deposits iton the elevator conveyor 17; which carries it back and deposits it on the laterally directed conveyor 22 which deposits it well to one side of the machine.

arriving at thejend of the trench7 the digger is raised by means of the windlass 7 andthe niachinefturned and run back th rough the trench making another 2' cut. The process is repeated until the desired depthis obtained. l Y

lin iinishing the bottoinof the drain in readiness to receive the drain tile, the rolling colters 3l are removed and the straight digger point 30 removed and replaced by a special concave pointl which will form a clean concave bottom to the drain.

lhat l claim as my invention is l. Ditching apparatus comprising awheeled frame; ka vertically adjustable digger supported .by vthe frame; anv elevator y deck formed in two parts hinged together, the forward end of the forward part being hin ged on -the'digger and the rearward end of the other part onthe frame; yielding means tending to raise the elevator deck intermediate of its hinged on the digger and the rearward endV of the other part on the frame; cables connected to the elevator deck; guides over which said cables are led; weights connected to the cables tending to raise the elevator deck; and an endless conveyor carried by said deck.

3. A ditching lmachine constructed as setV forth in claim l provided with an upwardly inclined digger point; a short endless conveyor on totwhich the digger point delivers, the conveyor4 in turn delivering on to the elevator conveyor; and gearing driving the short conveyor from the elevator conveyor.-

et. A ditching machine constructed as set forth in claim l provided with an upwardly inclined digger point; a short endless co-nveyor on to which the digger point delivers, the conveyor in turn delivering on to the elevator conveyor; gearing driving the short conveyor from the elevator conveyor; gear boxes covering the gearing and projecting beyond the sides of the digger; andskiinmers secured to the sides of the digger adapted to cut away the sides of the trench to afford passage for the gear boxes.

5. ln a ditching machine;a digger `provided with spaced landsides; a digger point with upwardly inclined upper surface; and a. short endless conveyor located between the landsides; its upper `side` forming substantially an upward extension of said surface; anendless elevator conveyor, the lower end of whichis supported-between the landsides of the digger below the rear end of the short conveyor. i

6. A ditching machine constructed as set forth in. claim 5 provided with a roller for the forward end of an elevator conveyor 'located below the rear end of the short `conveyor; gearing outside 'the land sides between said roller and the rear end of lthe short conveyor; gear boxes over said gearing; and skimmers secured to the sides of the digger adapted to cut away the sides of the trench to alford passage' for the gear boxes.

7. ln a ditching machine, a digger comprising au open frame; landsides"secured thereto; aA diggerr point secured thereto; and rollingcolters supported one at each sideand projecting belowthe bottom of the landsides.

Signed at Norwich this 14th day of July,` l920f Y l ARDEN CAMERON. 

